A high-profile naval mishap unfolded in North Korea on Wednesday during the launch of the country’s largest warship to date, prompting an unusually sharp rebuke from leader Kim Jong Un, who labeled the incident a “criminal act” rooted in carelessness and flawed practices, according to state-run outlet KCNA.

The accident occurred at the northeastern port city of Chongjin, where Kim was personally overseeing the debut of a new 5,000-ton destroyer. The massive vessel—intended to be a showpiece of North Korea’s expanding naval capabilities—reportedly lost balance during the launch and sustained damage, with its hull partially crushed. KCNA did not report any casualties.

In a rare and blistering public condemnation, Kim said the failure had “brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse,” and blamed “absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism” for the accident. He demanded immediate repairs and ordered the ship be fully restored before a key Workers’ Party meeting in June.

“The restoration of the destroyer is not just a technical matter—it is a political task tied directly to the prestige of the state,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

South Korea’s military confirmed that satellite and reconnaissance data showed the damaged vessel listing sideways in the water at Chongjin. A spokesperson for the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lee Sung-jun, said both South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies had been monitoring activity at the port in advance of the launch.

Later Thursday, South Korean officials reported that North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from an area south of Chongjin around the time state media acknowledged the shipyard accident. No further details were immediately provided about the launches.

The failed launch marks a rare admission of operational failure by Pyongyang, which tightly controls domestic news and rarely acknowledges military setbacks. The incident echoes similar public failings in the past, including failed satellite launches and infrastructure disasters, which North Korea’s leadership has sometimes used as justification for tightening internal control.

Wednesday’s incident came just weeks after another warship—similar in size—was launched from the Nampho shipyard on the country’s western coast, also under Kim’s supervision. The twin destroyers are part of Kim Jong Un’s broader push to modernize North Korea’s naval forces, with ambitions to arm them with a wide range of missiles and potentially expand their strategic deterrence capabilities.

While Kim has lauded military expansion as a cornerstone of national pride and sovereignty, the failed launch is likely to spur internal reviews and shake confidence in the regime’s high-stakes military projects ahead of major political gatherings.